How to Get Aluminum in Astroneer

Aluminum is one of the most important resources in Astroneer. You’ll need it for crafting vehicles, base equipment, and many mid-game items that help expand your base and explore other planets.

When you're just starting out, Aluminum can seem difficult to obtain because it requires a couple of steps before you can actually use it. However, once you understand the process, getting Aluminum in Astroneer is actually very simple.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the easiest way to get Aluminum in Astroneer, including where to find Laterite and how to turn it into Aluminum.

Finding Laterite in Astroneer

Before you can craft Aluminum, you first need to collect Laterite.

Laterite is the raw resource that gets refined into Aluminum. The good news is that it’s fairly common once you know where to look.

You can typically find Laterite in cave systems on Sylva, the starting planet. To locate it, start exploring underground tunnels and deeper cave layers beneath the surface.

Laterite usually appears as reddish-brown rock clusters attached to cave walls and floors. Once you spot it, simply use your Terrain Tool to mine the resource and add it to your backpack.

Because caves often contain large deposits, you can usually collect a good amount of Laterite during a single cave run.

Smelting Laterite into Aluminum

After gathering Laterite, the next step is to turn it into Aluminum.

To do this, you’ll need to use the Smelting Furnace.

Place the Laterite into the Smelting Furnace and activate it. The furnace will process the resource and convert it into Aluminum.

This refining step is required because Aluminum cannot be found directly in the world. It must always be created by smelting Laterite.

Once the smelting process is finished, you’ll have Aluminum ready to use for crafting.

What Aluminum Is Used For

Aluminum becomes extremely important as you progress through Astroneer. Many essential items require Aluminum, including:

• Vehicles and rovers

• Platforms and base modules

• Oxygen and power systems

• Various advanced crafting recipes

Because Aluminum is used in so many different blueprints, it’s a good idea to keep a steady supply of Laterite ready for smelting.

Alternative Way to Get Laterite

If you don’t want to search caves, there is another way to obtain Laterite.

You can use the Trade Platform to exchange scrap for resources, including Laterite. This can be a faster option if you already have a scrap farm or a large amount of scrap available.

Simply place scrap onto the Trade Platform, choose Laterite as the trade option, and wait for the rocket to deliver the materials.

While this method works well, exploring caves is usually the fastest way to gather large amounts of Laterite early in the game.

Final Thoughts

Getting Aluminum in Astroneer is actually very simple once you know the process.

All you need to do is find Laterite in cave systems, mine it with your Terrain Tool, and then smelt it using a Smelting Furnace.

Since Aluminum is required for many important items throughout the game, it’s worth collecting plenty of Laterite whenever you explore underground.

Once you start gathering it regularly, you’ll always have enough Aluminum to build new equipment and expand your base.